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Hi Guys,

I have shifted my travel tales to my very own website
www.makewayforjo.com

Do visit, comment & keep reading.
It's still work in progress. Lots of new things coming up...

Love,
Jo

The Church of St Cajetan

The Church of St. Cajetan lies in the shadow of the other churches at Old Goa. Most people would visit Old Goa for the Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral, however St. Cajetan’s has something wonderful and breath-taking to offer you.

The church completed in 1661 is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence. Its name however finds its origins after the founder of the Order of Theatines. St. Cajetan’s almost looks replicates the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. The exterior of the church boasts a Corinthian style of architecturewhile the interior features a blend of mosaic-Corinthian architectures. The magnificent façade facing west features towering Corinthian columns supporting a central pediment above which the twin belfry towers arise.

Inside the church, do make a note of the three altars on either side of the main altar. To the left you will find altars dedicated to the Holy Family, Our Lady of Piety and St. Clare, while the altars to the right are dedicated to St. John, St. Cajetan and St. Agnes.

To an art lover this church is where you can get lost in the myriad display of frescos. Off late there’s been a lot of renovation work going on inside the church to its architecture and frescos, so be prepared for a section of the church to be cut off to public viewing.

The Cross at the Quiterio's

No Catholic household in Goa is complete without a cross. You will find crosses engraved on homes or a structure erected in front of houses. Each one is different in design yet built for one purpose – protect the family that resides there.

My home has a cross engraved on the compound wall. But the cross that binds us all as a family is the one that stands in my Grandma’s compound. This is the cross is the protector of the entire Quiterio clan. Prayers to pass in exams, fulfillment of dreams and protection as we venture far and wide in the world have all been offered here and it still does.

The Cross at the Quiterio's

I remember times when as little kids my cousin and I used to help my Grandma scrape the old paint off the cross and volunteer to paint it in preparation for the cross feast. There were also times when all of us cousins used to wait closest to the cross hoping to catch the wax that dripped forth, each one wanting to building a bigger wax ball than the other. As the centre of the household it also came to be the favoured place to click family pictures.

My brother & cousin as kids in front of the cross

Though much as has changed now – we are all adults, grandma’s house is surrounded by a concrete wall – the cross still remains the same, in the spot it was erected on.

Fabulous Stays

Found some wonderful places to unwind in Goa. They not like your typical hotel/resorts which make them even more exciting! So here go my finds.

I so loved this place. It’s called Coco Shambhala. Well I have not been here yet, but Cocoshambhala looks heavenly. Almost out of this world to be in Goa. But I will one day soon go there and certify for a fact that it is how it has been photographed.

Coco Shambhala as noted on the website are exclusive luxury vacation villas. Situated just behind Coco Beach at Nerul in Goa, it boasts of wonderful retreat designed to offer the perfect escape.  Do visit and let me know how your stay unfolded.

The other place that I loved was Lotus Resorts  at Aronda, it's actually on the Goa-Maharashtra border. But, well it just seemed…simple! The perfect pause to a hectic life. I am going here in January, driving up from Goa. I hope it lives up to its promise of backwaters, blue skies and pristine waters.

A Gothic Beauty in Goa

The Mae De Deus Church situated at Saligoa in North Goa is one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture one can find in the state. Simply because its the only church in Goa that has a strong influence of Gothic architecture. 

From Saligao Church

The Saligoa Church as its commonly called has always been a source of fascination for my brother and myself. It falls on our way home and every time we would see it in a new perspective. Every sunrise, cloud formation, sunset or the illumination at night, puts this church in a new light. It soon came to be our most favourite subject of photography. These pictures were clicked one late night when we armed ourselves with a tripod and camera and took off from home on bike to click this beauty. 

From Saligao Church

From Saligao Church

From Saligao Church

From Saligao Church

It’s without doubt one of the most beautiful churches in Goa. During the day, the church towers the surrounding landscape of fields in pearly white. 

From Saligao Church

Built in 1873, the Mae De Deus Church has the statue of the Virgin Mary in the centre while large jutting cones form the rest of the architecture. Though the church has become a tourist destination, one should not forget that it is a place of worship with daily mass held in the mornings and most evenings. Do make sure you are properly dressed while visiting a church or any place of worship. 

From Saligao Church

The church on the inside is beautifully decorated with chandeliers and wooden pews. The facade has the Virgin Mary venerated at the altar. Every year on the feast of 'Mae de Deus', the Saligoa Sporting Club have their traditional dance called the 'Foxes' Nite.' It’s held at a ground next to the Church.

The local thing to do – Watch a game of Football

Forget about hitting the beach or visiting the churches and temples. You have not experienced the Goan way of life till you have watched and yell your heart out at a local football game.

You can spot them at any corner. Vast open fields become the ideal playground. What you need to look for is a crowd. Spot one that’s causing a slight traffic jam and you have a game in action.

From parra game

Local games obviously star the local talent. Emotions run high, so make sure you don’t say something you could be sorry of later.  These games follow the same league structure in football. And mind you people take their football very seriously in Goa. Should the local team be playing, the entire village is bound to be there supporting the young boys and men.

From parra game

Adrenaline is at an all time high with each player trying to outdo the other. You can be guaranteed of super action and controversial decisions. Playing for your local team makes you nothing short of a hero. Almost all the men in my family have played for PVC Parra, starting with my dad and uncle to my cousin who was the mid-fielder and my brother who was the goal keeper. Yeah so we have some superstars in my family.

So yes go watch a football game in Goa. It’s something you won’t regret doing.

A few days to...

my favorite festival in India - Ganesh Chaturthi  

Preparations begin months in advance, sometimes a whole year goes in designing the idol for the upcoming year. But rest can be assured of creativity hitting greater heights every single year. 

This time on I have my friend Mangesh Bhadye on board, sharing his pictures as he captures the festivals in its true element. See more of Mangesh's work on his blog.  

In a few days it will be time for the festivities, till then check out these pictures which will give you an insight into what goes into the preparations.

An artisan coating the Ganesh idol with plaster of Paris

The idol of Lord Ganesh under construction

Work in progress

Showering blessings on all

Lord Ganesh, the God of wisdom and prosperity

Three Most Popular Places to Dine in Goa

While nothing beats my Mama’s cooking, if you are looking for places to dine, these are my top three favourites. 

#1

Martin’s Corner, Betalbatim

I must confess. As a Goan, this was only the second time I’ve been here. The first time was years back when I was in college and now. I was down from Mumbai and we planned a family outing to the South of Goa. Betalbatim was our destination and the evening was spent at, obviously, Martin’s Corner.

Well even as locals we had some difficulty finding the place but you can just ask anyone for directions. Very important, if you intend getting a table here, do call for reservations. The place is perpetually full.   

The food at Martin’s is simply amazing. A little on the expensive side, but delicious. We dug into Calamari, Stuffed Lobster, Chicken Cafreal and Steak.  While the place offers, others cuisines too, my advice is to stick to Goan food. The Goan cuisine here is at its best, you can also do savour dishes such as the Goan Fish Curry, Prawn Balchao, Xec Xec (a goan crab preparation), Vindaloo, etc.

Martin’s Corner has beautiful ambience. Subdued lighting with a live band give the place a cozy almost at home feel.  This place is extremely popular, so don’t be surprised to see a celebrity here. They say it’s Sachin Tendulkar’s favourite dining place in Goa.

For more details visit the website. www.martinscornergoa.com

Location:

Martin's Corner

Binwaddo, Betalbatim

Salcete - Goa

For reservations call:

(0832) 2880061, 2880413, 6481518

#2

Britto’s, Baga

For a dining experience in North Goa, you should visit Britto’s.  By Baga beach, it’s a place you must eat at, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Britto’s serves almost all types of cuisine – Goan, Indian, Continental. The service is excellent and the pricing of food is reasonable. Make sure you get a table on the beach or overlooking the beach to complete your experience.

The reason I like this place is because of the variety in cuisines and the huge portions of food. Do visit Britto’s at night. They keep a single burning candle on your table, giving the entire a place a dreamy feel.

Location:

Santa Vaddo, Baga

For reservations call:

(0832) 2276291, 2277331

#3

Souza Lobo, Calangute

Souza Lobo  is a nice place by the sea. Situated on the sands of Calangute beach, it offers a magical evening to those looking to unwind at the beach as well as munch on Goan delicacies.

The place is rather airy and has a rustic charm to it. At Souza Lobo’s we dug into fish fingers, Masala Fried Calimaris and Crab Xec Xec. The crab I must say was to die for!

Like all well know Goan restaurants, this place too has a live band, though on this particular night it was just too loud.  The rest of the evening was lost in staring at the black sea and enjoying the breeze with the sumptuous food.

Do check their website www.souzalobo.com

For reservations call:

(0832) 2281234 / 2276463

Poovar Island Resort. Heaven on Earth!

Poovar Island Resort, so it says on their site, is truly out-of-the-world. I was the first time ever I was going to Kerela and was super excited about it. But I was even more excited about staying on these floating cottages. Like all my trips, the Internet becomes my best friend – checking reviews, viewing pictures of the place and finding info on how to get there. Sadly at that time the resort had a very sad looking website. Some of the reviews were not good, but following my heart we decided to go there. The we this time was my husband and I.

From Poovar Floating Cottages

A long train journey, then a rickshaw ride brought us to the entrance of Resort. We see water, but where are the floating cottages. Then we realize we have to go around the island to reach there. We wait for a boat to take us there.

From Poovar Floating Cottages

Our ride arrives and it takes about 10 minutes to reach the waterfront. From a distance we can see them. I simply cannot control my excitement. They look exotic! Luxurious! Sinful!

We get off at the small dock and the porters take our bags to our cottage. The formalities follow at the lobby, and I love everything about this place. The traditional welcome drink, a huge pot with flowers in the lobby and the swimming pool with a bar. This place has everything!

Couldn’t wait to get to our cottage we hurried away to Cottage 301. My jaw drops. A beautiful room on water, with one side of the wall overlooking the beach. Well you can close the blinds, but right now its open to admire the view. With the waves floating by, you can feel the cottages sway.

From Poovar Floating Cottages

From Poovar Floating Cottages

The floating cottages are all air-conditioned with plasma TVs, a mini bar, a tea/coffee maker, telephones and an attached see-through shower cubicle. What’s amazing is a sit-out balcony overlooking the backwaters.

Poovar Island Resort also offers you Deluxe Floating Cottages and Land Cottages. In my opinion it would be idiotic to stay in a land cottage when you come here. The floating cottages are an experience of their own.

The place also boasts of a lovely restaurant, an Ayurveda Centre and a recreational area and seight-seeing trips.

I am so glad we stuck to this place. I can see the next few days going to be the best ones ever!

To see how to get to Poovar Island Resort, check this link.

For more information on this awesome place, do check the website http://www.poovarislandresort.com. And if you are thinking of going, I’d say don’t think, just GO!

You can also discover more about the fascinating great backwaters by following this link - GreatBackwater.com

Lonavala. Khandala #fail!

The weekend was supposed to provide the perfect break from the hustle and bustle a metropolitan city like Mumbai can engulf you in. My brother was in town and so we decided to drive down to Lonavala and chill out there for the next two days. Unfortunately for us, the rest of Mumbai also thought about the same.

So here we are in Lonavala, caught in a terrible traffic jam. If I wanted a traffic jam, I would have spent the day in Mumbai! That’s the  #fail moment no.1.

#Fail no 2 follows soon.  The places of interest – lake, Kava caves, some monkey feeding point and views of the valley below are all such big letdowns. I went with low expectations and came back with even lower opinions of these places.

#Fail no 3. Accommodation in these places suck. Hotels were crappy that we packed our bags and made our way back by evening. Even a 3 star was freaking expensive. I wasn’t going to pay 5K for a night and that too for a room that wasn’t well maintained.

Lonavala was crappy and so was Khandala. By mid afternoon my brother’s friend joined us from Pune. The lunch was sumptuous – Chicken Tandoori, Butter Chicken and Rotis. We checked out a couple of other places to stay, not worth a mention, and then decided to head back.

The only thing that was worth this trip was the drive out of the city and being able to put some much needed miles on my new car. On my drive back, I couldn’t help but think about the Lonavala years back when we had come here on our school summer break… so beautiful and untouched. Now it’s simply commercialized! 

Finding my way with Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring

My review: 

When I was planning my trip I bought Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring. I must say that it has been immensely helpful in picking the right destinations to stay and visit.

On our trip, documented on this blog, we used to get lost in any new city or rather look about blankly figuring out which direction should we head. Luckily at this time Lonely Planet's Europe on a shoestring came to our rescue. It helped us find the tourism offices with ease and also pointed us in the right directions to our hotels and lanes we had to explore.

A little bulky for a backpacker, but very helpful. Do refer to this guide if you want explore the European cities without burning a hole in your pocket.

Lyons

I met Lyons, the seagull, at Marseilles at Chateau d'If. He kept posing for me as we awaited our ride back to the mainland. I so loved this bird, that he became inspiration for my quilling artwork.

Oh and Tanaya, my travel buddy was so jealous of this bird that she kept rolling her eyes at us - our conversations and the photo shoot. Well we finally got to her and she clicked a picture of Lyons and me together. Well guess Tanaya, this post is dedicated to you and the wonderful patient person who were with me on our trip. To Tanaya!

From Lyons

From Lyons

From Lyons

Day 35: London - Turkey - Mumbai - Goa

It was time to go! Our bags packed we rode the tube for the last time to Heathrow Airport. Thankfully Ryan came to drop us. I was sad to go but excited to be at an airport. Simply because it takes me to newer places. And Heathrow airport is mighty and beautiful. A lot of people might not think so, but I loved it. It's no way flashy like the Dubai Airport but a mighty one it is. 

Stepping off the Tube, we walk into the airport. I say bye to my cousin Ryan and thank him for sheltering us while in London and also for feeding us with amazing dishes. But I have to leave, reality is calling me back. 

Damn I am overweight in luggage. Lucky the Turkish Airlines official let me go without paying a pound. Did I say, I gave her my widest smiles? 

After some duty free shopping which involved picking up brandy for my papa, some chocolates for my mama and brother, all we had to do was wait to take off. Not soon we come to know our flights beeen delayed. Holy shit! I have connecting flights all the way to Goa. London - Turkey, with a stop over for 3 hours at Istanbul. Our flights delayed again at Istanbul. That gives me a bracket of less than 2 hours to make it from the International airport to the domestic one in Mumbai, from the initial 7 hours. In Mumbai I had to request security to cut line as I had to hurry to catch my connecting flight to Goa. 

So preoccupied I was here, that I failed to see Bonnie, then my bestest friend and now my husband, waiting to welcome me back. Tanaya spotted him and I was so glad to see him come. We then raced our way to the domestic airport, where you can say Jet Airways was practically holding the flight to Goa for me. I was whisked away in a special van to the aircraft and got a lot of dirty stares from passengers for delaying them. Not my fault I say. 

In Goa, my Mama and Papa were there to welcome me. How happy was I to see them. Hugs all around. So many questions. And my Mom still aghast that I went half the world across alone. :) Anyway there was a homecoming party. My extended family was there to know where I went, what I did and how I achieved this dream of mine. The end of it, everyone was envious. I can only look back and think WOW!

Day 34: Last day in London

After getting back late last evening from Witham to Ryan's place at Clapham Common, we realise that's it is effectively our last full day in London. 

OMG I need another suitcase to take back the things I've bought and collected on my trip. My backpack suddenly seems so small. 

In London we stayed with Ryan and his roommates - Richie, Ali, Graham And Al Bano. These guys are super fun, awesome cooks, with strict house rules and a home that was so spic and span that it could put the girls hostel I live in back in Mumbai to shame. 

Well on the morning of our last day, Richie took us to a local eatery where we has a super sumptuous English breakfast. After breakfast Richie headed to work while Ryan, Tan and I went to Oxford Circus to do some last minute shopping. Primark, Hamleys, Sainsbury's were all on the list. By evening we had so much to stuff to take back home. 

A not so quite dinner then followed at Ryan's place. Nostalgia was creeping up. I was happy to go home but I did not want this trip to end EVER.

Day 33: A flowery day at Chelmsford

Another day in the county of Essex. We take the train to Chelmford. Violet says we must see this beautiful garden here – Hyde Hall. Problem is we don’t know how to get there. But no worries. We get exploring. At the local bus station we learn that the bus has already left and the next one is in 3 hours. The only to get there now is a taxi.

I think the word taxi had Tanaya and my mind doing mental calculations on how broke we were going to be after this ride, how many more meals would we have to skip… with a heavy heart we decided to cab it out. The route was scenic but I think I was more concerned about the meter ticking.

 Hyde Hall is in the middle of nowhere. On top of a hillock you can miss it, if you are not a local. This 360 acre of land is home to almost all plants on the planet. Flowers the size of your face to exotic trees whose names you had only heard before, can be found in this amazing haven.



Check out my photos below, it shows the garden in full bloom and what you can expect when you visit RHS Garden, Hyde Hall.

After spending all morning and afternoon at the gardens we hitchhike back into Chelmsford. A young gentleman was kind enough to give us a drop back after which we spent some time at High Chelmer Shopping Centre.

Soon it was time to head back to Witham, pack our bags, thank Violet & Bruno for opening their home to us and taking us around and head back to London. It’s almost the end of the trip. I can feel our feet dragging. Not because of the heavy bags on our shoulders, but due to the realization that this fantastic trip will soon come to an end.

Day 32: Witham - Colchester - Clacton-on-Sea

We get up to an extremely quiet house. I tip toe downstairs not wanting to wake up anyone and find Violet already up. I then woke up Tan and proceeded to help Violet spruce up some breakfast. Not before long we were out walking the streets of Witham to find a bus to take us to Colchester.

Colchester is a historical army town. Remember the rhyme Old King Cole, well I presume it originated here.  The major of the day we spent visiting the Colchester Castle Museum , a beautiful park adjoining it and another museum whose name I cannot recollect. After a lazy lunch by the pond feeding the ducks we walked about the town till we stopped at a local bar for some drinks.


Tada! Let me introduce you to the most fantastic drink on this planet. PIMMS!  This drink is mind-blowing. I loved it and I suggested when you in England please walk into a bar and demand it! Do check this link for more information.

By now it was early evening, time to head back to Witham as Bruno, Violet’s husband, was taking us out for dinner. Freshened up we head out to Clacton-on-Sea. Yeah we are going to the beachside. Lovely! Clactopn-on-Sea was closed for the tourist off season. But the beach in twilight is so perfect. We dined at a restaurant at Clacton Pier. The food was delicious.



A light rain ended the evening as we drove back. All in all it was a wonderful day in the English countryside.

Day 31: Getting to Witham

Witham was not on our travel plans. But having come to England I had promised to meet a much cherished friend, who also was my next door neighbor in Goa. Violet is a real nice person and we experienced first-hand what a lovely host she is. From cooking us a sumptuous welcome to Witham dinner to taking us around the county of Essex, meeting Violet was so much fun.

Getting to Witham was quite an eventful journey. From Glasgow we had to get into London first as we were supposed to meet Violet’s husband Bruno there. However were some train lines down and most of the trains were not plying. We were almost going to give up and proceed to Clapham Common (Ryan’s place) when the indicators signaled a train to Witham. A mad dash to grab a seat saw us in an even stuffed up train. The situation did not improve all along the journey. At Witham station things did not improve, thankfully we met up with Bruno who was able to take us to his home.

We were hungry and like I said before Violet had prepared a sumptuous dinner which we all gobbled up in silence. It was quite late in the evening and after catching up on the years we missed we called it a night. Tomorrow Violet has promised to take us around Witham and the county of Essex.

By the way I must mention Violet has a cozy and amazing home with a lovely garden

Day 30: Galivanting in Glasgow!

It was time to say goodbye to Edinburgh and head to Glasgow. A short train ride and we at Glasgow Central. Like all railway stations in Europe this one too is beautiful. Luckily our hotel was not too far from the station and in a few minutes we managed to locate it.

While at Glasgow we stayed at the Alexander Thompson Hotel on Argyle Street. The hotel is rather cramped, with six floors just rising vertically without any thought of expanding horizontally, but since we were here for just a night it did not matter. However what mattered was the uncontrolled excitement of an Indian origin housekeeping staff on spotting two Indians girls. She told us that she was from Punjab and asked if we were on vacation but man was she glad to see us. Abroad any Indian you spot becomes family… grrr!

Anyway the room at Alexander Thompson was functional and modern. There is no restaurant but breakfast was served in the dining hall. Like I mentioned before Glasgow was a day trip. So after dumping our bags and refreshing a bit at the hotel, it was time to hit the streets. Let me tell you one thing. Glasgow is pretty, very pretty with flowers around every bend.

First on the cards - the Necropolis. We could take the local transport to get there, but considering how we tend to miss the stops we decided to walk it out. It did not look far off on the map. Following the map we made our way to the Necropolis, and found it rather easily.


The Necropolis http://www.glasgownecropolis.org is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, situated on a hill and the resting place of over 50,000 people. The trek up hill is beautiful. To get to the main entrance one has to cross a bridge, known as the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ as it was part of the route of funeral processions. The cemetery's paths meander uphill towards the summit, where a dominating statue of John Knox was erected in 1825. You will find tombs designed by famous personalities, namely Alexander Thomson, John Bryce and David Hamilton. Though we were walking in a cemetery, which is weird, you cannot help but feel at peace here. The tombs are so pretty and peaceful and the view from the summit is amazing. It’s almost as if all the souls are looking down protecting the city of Glasgow.

After spending a major of our afternoon roaming the Necropolis, we then headed to Glasgow Cathedral or St Mungo's Cathedral as it is commonly known as. The cathedral is simply striking built in Victorian style. The Pastor invited us for the service and it being Sunday Tan forced me to go for mass. The service was perfect and heavenly with its piped organ choir. After the service there was a small gathering, where we thanked the pastor for the wonderful service and making two Indians girls feel at ease in a foreign country.
Since photography is prohibited in the Cathedral, we could not click any pictures of this beautiful place. Do click here to see this magnificent structure.

From here we lazed back our way into town, exploring the streets of Glasgow with my Lonely Planet Europe on a shoestring guidebook. We spent the rest of the evening walking about Buchanan Street, Argyle Street, and Sauchiehall Street. Oh and they have Primark here too, my favorite store in the whole world. Click here to familiarize yourself with the streets of Glasgow.

The evening ended with dinner at McDonald’s, the cheapest place to dine since we were at the end of our trip and short on cash. Yum but not exactly yum.

Day 29: Exploring Edinburgh

Our day began with a ride into the heart of the city. After this we decided to simply walk about. So off we went exploring Princes Street - the main shopping street in Edinburgh.

We decided to explore the Princes Street Gardens, situated just next to Waverly railway station. The gardens are beautiful, with perfectly manicured lawns, oak trees, wooden benches and roses as huge as one's face. All I wanted to do was sit on the lawns and soak up the sun. From the gardens below you also get a glimpse of the Edinburgh Castle. The gardens also houses the famous Scott Monument. It is a Victorian Gothic monument dedicated to Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott. The tower rises almost 200 feet high and has a series of viewing decks. 

From the gardens we decided to wait for the bus to take us up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. However after a futile wait we trekked up and were exhausted by the time we got there. Queues to enter the castle were humongous, so be prepared for them. The Castle is a  must see for every person who visits. There's a lot you can see here - from the crown jewels, hammerbeam roofs in the Great Hall to the Chambers that housed the prisioners of war. At one o'clock there's the master gun fire, which recreates scenes of yesteryears. While you are here don't miss St. Margeret's Chapel and the Dog Cemetery. 

After the gun fire, we said goodbye to the Castle and walked down the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is a beautiful cobbled street leading from the castle to Holyrood abbey down the hill. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street. 

Taking in everything along this street, our eyes fell on a board that read 'The Whisky Heritage Centre'. So... we are in Scotland, from where you get the best whiskey's and we don't enjoy the moment? Ha! With a little coaxing from Tan we went in and decided to indulge in a Scotish Whisky Experience. We took the Adult Silver Tour which amounted to 9.50 pounds. At precisely 13:15 began a sensational journey with a whiskey glass in hand. Note: you cannot have a shot at it, till the end of the tour. The tour is a ride through a replica distillery. It's here you learn the whisky making process and the stories behind this magical craft 

After that we were back on the street. And guess what we get to see. A Jaguar! Not the animal, but the car. Whoa baby, what a machine. And it was booked for a Scottish wedding. The entire entourage was pretty. The bride, the bridesmaids and the men in the quilts. There were bagpipers too lending to a true Scottish experience. We just stood there and looked. Oh so pretty! Now all this was happening just outside St Giles Cathedral. The Cathedral has been a place of worship for the Scottish people for nearly 900 years.  

Back on our path, we did a lot of window shopping, before we came to the end of the street and face to face with the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. Holyrood Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining. It's said that the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II spends one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.The palace is open to the public throughout the year, except when members of the Royal Family are in residence. No photography is allowed inside in the Palace. The Palace however is extremely rich in decor. The State Apartments are renowned for their magnificent plasterwork ceilings and collection of tapestries. Frankly, the palace did not impress me. I found it overtly rich, but on the other hand it gave us a glimpse into the royal life. 

The Palace grounds also holds the ruins of the 12th century Abbey. It is said that the abbey was built in 1128 at the order of King David I of Scotland, at the very spot where he had a vision of a stag with a cross between its antlers. The Abbey is also the burial place of several Scottish kings and it was here that Charles I was coronated king. The ruins are a result of the roof giving way in 1768. Today the Abbey has an almost eerie feeling to it. But I loved this place. It was so tranquil. Making my way through the ruins, feeling the stone, you can't help but marvel at the architecture and effort gone into building such a place. 

It was almost five in the evening. Tan and I were drained and hungry. However before we call it a day, there was one last place we had to visit. The Scottish Parliament. The architecture of this place contradicts the Palace opposite. This place reeks of modern architecture. We sat here for a while admiring the contrast of the place and enjoying the sprinkle from the fountains. 

From here we waited for the local bus to take us to Princes Street where we hoped off at KFC and feasted on some chicken. 

What a day it was. Back at our hotel, and after a warm bath relaxing our tired muscles we sat to watch a documentary playing on TV. It was Queen Elizabeth love story and marriage to Prince Philip. What a perfect way to end our day in Edinburgh! 

Day 28: Off to Edinburgh

It was time to set off again. This time on we were off to Scotland. I must confess, I am not a fan of the Brit Rail or the National Express. Mostly because one can never seem to get a reservation on it! So here we are at King's Cross Station waiting to board a train to Edinburgh. Watching the indicator... waiting... watching... waiting... making a mad rush for the train. Apparently you can sit anywhere till the person who has reserved that seat comes along. Crap!

Anyway amidst everything, we make our way to Edinburgh and after almost four and half hours we are at Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. Yet again it was a classic case of we getting lost. Well we managed to track down a bus, the wrong one... had to get off and find the right one, thankfully this bus driver was kind enough to point us out to our hotel. 

Parkview House Hotel, 14 Hermitage Place, is ideally located just opposite a parkland, whcih at that time was buzzing with a local fare. The place was cozy and super comfy for a bed and breakfast. After settling in, Tan & I decided to take a little walk around the place, to find a local mart. We stocked up on bread, cold meats, chips and cold drinks, which would all come handy in preparing our dinners. 

After this since the local fare was on, we decided to walk about in the park. Back at our hotel, dinner was prepared - sandwiches and coke, and we soon got planning our day tomorrow in Edinburgh. 

A few hints: For  local transport familiarise yourself with Lothian Buses transportation system, bus tracker, planner, timetables and much more.

For route maps, click here.